Ford Fiesta - First car confusion! (V5C question,cat d question)

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Tue 10 Jul 2012 16:42
Ford Fiesta - First car confusion! (V5C question,cat d question) - Zziggy

Hi all, please bare with me because I am very green regarding cars!

I'm about to buy my first car and one option is an 02 Fiesta. Cat D, but I have given it a test drive and although the wheel alignment was clearly off it felt OK. The dealer says it was just the front bumper needed replacing. However, my boyfriend reckons bad wheel alignment could be a symptom of something bad relating to the reason it's cat D - so should I stay clear?

Another thing that raised alarms was that the V5C was not in the dealer's name but some woman's name and address. There was also a bit missing - the top part of the third page, if that helps? I can't find out if this is bad or not though! Everywhere seems intent on telling me what isn't normal, and I get that this would be bad if it were a private seller, but is it just because he is a trader and actually fine?

Thanks for any help!

Zziggy

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Tue 10 Jul 2012 16:47
Ford Fiesta - First car confusion! (V5C question,cat d question) - unthrottled

Suspension components are quite delicate and easily damaged in even a minor accident. It's not 'serious', but it should have been repaired properly. If it was just a bumper, then the car would not have been written off by the insurance assessor. I would be tempted to walk away. There are loads of Fiestas around!

It is normal for dealers to not register the car in their name

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Tue 10 Jul 2012 17:10
Ford Fiesta - First car confusion! (V5C question,cat d question) - Zziggy

Thank you!

So how does the change of hands work then, if he doesn't technically own the car? Or am I misunderstanding ..?

The suspension being broken is a worry now. I guess there's no way to tell without a proper inspection?

Unfortunately I find myself looking for cheap cars exactly at the same time as everyone else...

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Tue 10 Jul 2012 17:12
Ford Fiesta - First car confusion! (V5C question,cat d question) - RT

As you know little about cars, just walk away from a car that's known to have been in an accident - it may have been repaired properly but even someone who knows about cars would want to do various checks, which you clearly can't.

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